Royal Brougham

Brougham joined the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (P-I) in 1910 as a copy boy, after dropping out of Seattle's Franklin High School. His first article would appear in the P-I in 1913, in an interview with former World Lightweight Champion Jimmy Britt.

In 1920, Brougham became the Sports Editor at the P-I, and from 1925 to 1928 he served as managing editor of the whole newspaper, before returning to the sports desk. He was responsible for bringing baseball legend Babe Ruth and world champion Jack Dempsey to Seattle for visits. He also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars for scholarships. Brougham would remain at the P-I until he suffered a heart attack (ruptured aorta) in the 4th quarter of a Seattle Seahawks-Denver Broncos football game at the Kingdome, after having downed about six hot dogs (he was infamous for his fondness of hot dogs). Brougham died early the next morning at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.

It is estimated that Brougham wrote nearly 18,000 columns in his career, usually six per week. From the mid-1920s through the 1940s the boxing writer working with Brougham at the P-I was Dick Sharp.

Brougham was honored by Seattle Pacific University in 1953, when they named their basketball court "Royal Brougham Pavilion." Currently the street that runs between the two main Seattle sports stadiums, Safeco Field and Qwest Field, is named "Royal Brougham Way," in his honor.

Sources: Seattle P-I article on Brougham: [1]; March 14, 2009, 12:10 p.m. KUOW 94.9 radio program on the forthcoming demise of the P-I.